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The Classic Army M15 A4
Automatic Electric Gun (AEG)
Introduction:
Also known as the CA-M15 A4, it is Classic Army's latest incarnation
of the manufacturer's AEG series. This model includes many variations.
They are M15 A4 Tactical Carbine, M15 Carbine, and M15 A4 Rifle.
In this article, the CA M15 A4 will be discussed and reviewed
throughly, ranging from its new features to disassembly of its
parts in order to give airsoft enthusiasts a better view about
the rifle.
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Classic Army M15-A4 Airsoft Review |
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What's New With the Classic Army M15 A4: The power output
and the external built quality is the new feature
for the Classic Army M15-A4. Also, the plastic parts are made from
durable fiber reinforced polymer that is less likely to crack
or shatter. Its body went over large improvement as well featuring
original decals and fixing up the gearbox.
With the pre V4 CA Armalite, catastrophic failures occured with
the gearbox mainly because of its spacer/shim to the spring guide
fitting. The spacer/shim created a strain on the gears. However,
the new Armalite Airsoft Rifles solved this problem and when taken
during the Orlando Shot Show back in February 2003, it received
good attention and great sucess.
The Classic Army M15 A4 Look: The look is the
first thing that is noticeable with this Classic Army M15-A4 airsoft
rifle. Out of the box, it is the best looking stock/standard AEG
that is seen out there so far. The markings look realistic and
the plastics also look great.
The box is looking similar to that found on TM's, it even has
the mock TM style "hopup" logo. However, this Classic
Army has its new logo found in the box and the Armalite's own
logo in the front as shown in the left picture below. Not just any generic logo, it contains the
real one which makes makes a huge difference for some.
Out of the packaging, the CA M15 A4 feels very real. Clocking
in at 2.7g without any airsoft batteries or magazine, the weight can be
easily felt as it is pulled out of the box. Built by the same
manufacturers who made the first CA M41, its body feels strong,
rigid, and robust. It can pass for the real thing. Also, the texture
of the front and rear grips feels very solid. It has no rattling
nor any noise with any piece. One can easily tell that this Classic
Army M15A4 was constructed from better materials than before.
The packaging of the CA M15 A4: Inside the packaging
contains the hicap magazine, the cleaning rod, the hopup adjuster,
some paperwork, and of course the AEG.
Manufacturing Materials of the Classic Army M15-A4 Airsoft Gun:
This rifle has three disctinct parts that the gun is made from. They are:
* Metal parts: The castings on the carry handle is not
as great, similar to the real thing. However, this M15 contains
metal parts that is good in quality in every parts that is metal.
* Plastic parts: The plastic parts of this M15-A4 are
reinforced glass fibers that are less likely to shatter or crack,
unlike the previous versions of this gun. The grips are strong and contains
a very pleasant texture.
* Detailed part: Markings are found in the side of the
receiver, which is laser engraved. The sights are robustly built
with all the correct lettering.
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| Images/cam15a4_review_3.jpg" width="799" height="267" alt="CA M15-A4 trademarks and the Airsoft Rifle's barrel view" > |
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Features of the M15-A4: The
M15A Tactical Carbine sports a metal barrel that is one piece, a
removable carry handle, high capacity magazine, engraved receiver,
a tougher foregrip, reinforced stock features, and better wiring. The stock can be converted from full to retractable using an M15 Crane Stock
One of the improvement from the previous versions
is the fire select switch. It has a nice tight fit and clicks into
place nicely. The marker of the switch on the other side of the receiver,
however, does not turn since there is no way to make the switch
go through the gearbox.
Unlike the TM Armalite replicas, there is a fake
handle just below the carry handle which is just for decoration
much like the marker of the fire switch mentioned
above. It does not release the dust cover where the hopup is located
in this case.
At the front of the Classic Army M15 A4 airsoft
rifle, the barrel has a nice jetblack, powdercoated look to it.
Much like the real M15s. The flash hider is removalble to reveal
the 14mm threading for accessory fitment.
The front mount features a side mounted sling loop,
which is more useful than the underbarrel mounts. Also found underneath
the sight are the bayonet lugs, where it is used for bipods. The
front side can be placed on the other side of the of the barrel
if needed. Simply push out the securing pins then remove and refit
the unit.
If the sight becomes loose, there is a small allen
key threaded bolt located under the front sight. Tighten it if needed.
On this CA-M15 A4, with the exception of the Tactical
Carbine version, the ring that is slid back to remove the foregrip is now much tougher to move. Unlike the old CA models and some TM's,
the new foregrip rings are held on by springs that takes much more
strength to move. It is suggested to get the M4/16 foregrip tool
for those who would like to store the battery inside the foregrip
as this will ease up the process.
For those who do not have the M4/16 tool, the process
is still possible. The ring can be pushed down by hand to remove
the grips. Refitting can also be done the same way. First, place
the stock on a flat surface. With the barrel pointing vertically
upwards, step over the rifle and place both hands around the ring.
Using the body weight, press down on the ring carefully to remove
the grips.
Towards the back of the carry handle is where the
rear sights are fitted. It has both the smaller and larger hole.
The larger hole is less accurate, although it allows more light
to get through taking easier snap shots of the target. The smaller
hole is a bit harder to see through but offers more accurate shots.
Some may prefer the larger hole for it offers better visibility
even with the tradeoff of having a lesser accuracy.
The carry handle is easily removed. It is placed
in by a clamp with two screws putting it in place. If it is found
to be hard to remove, use a large flathead screwdriver to unscrew.
Be careful while uscrewing the carry handle off for any careless
turn may damage the threading of the screws.
Looking inside the mag well of this Classic Army
M15 A4 Airsoft Gun , the bottom of the gearbox is visible with the reinforced
hop unit and the metal nozzle.
The grip looks very similar to those found on any
other M4/16 grip. Although with the Classic Army version, a heat
sink style grip is added. This feature plays a good role during
hot days or when the AEG is running on higher voltage batteries such as a 9.6 V 1200 mAH Ni-MH battery
The motor tightening bolt is large and is accessible
enough. However, there is no need to open this part unless during
the internal upgrade, which is unlikely. Also, it is good
to know that it has a motor tightening bolt instead of an allen
wrench bolt that the TM model uses. Therefore, it can easily be
loosened and undone when needed.
The CA-M15 A4 has a sleek rear stock where the
power source is stored inside. In the real version, this is used
as a tool storage feature. To fit the battery first take the wire
out and connect the batteries. Then, slide the battery rear end
first. After, tuck the wires inside and close the stock. The rear
sling loop is located owards the bottom. This is where the tactical sling is threaded through so that the AEG can be carried through the shoulders.
It is weird that the front sling loop is attached on the side of
the gun, but this is how the CA-M15 A4 rifles are designed.
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| Images/cam15a4_review_1.jpg" width="799" height="267" alt="CA M15 A4, Air Gun, Automatic Electric Rifle Flash hider and ArmaLite Logo View"> |
The Ins and Outs of the Classic Army M15-A4: In this part of the review, the
functionality as well as the form of the CA M15a4 will be discussed.
* Dust cover - The dust cover is located at the side of
the body hiding the hopup unit adjuster. It is a snap on door held
by a spring. A magnet is attached to hold the door when closed.
* Cocking handle - the cocking handle for the CA M15 A4
is mainly just for decoration purpose. It does not serve as a cocking
device. It does, however, creates a nice, realistic sound when pulled
and released.
* Bolt release catch(es) - similar to the cocking handle
for CA M15 A4, the lever near the mag release and the push buton
on the right hand side near the cocking handle is again just for
show.
* Mag catch - the mag catch does of course work, as well
as the fire select switch and trigger.
* Durability - the durability of this Classic Army is quite
impressive. A user experimented with its strength by clamping the
flashhider to a to a table and suspended the rifle horizontally
onto a table. The tip of the M15-A4 rifle survived without suffering
any bent.
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| Images/cam15a4_review_2.jpg" width="799" height="267" alt="CA M15 A4, Air Gun, AEG Side and Magazine View"> |
Inside the CA-M15 A4 Gearbox: There has been
improvements with the gearbox of the Classic Army
M15 A4. For one, it does not make any more noise compare to the
older model. The old M15s had strain on the gears and it did not
have enough grease, therefore making a terrible sound.
The new gearbox contains a high-speed gears and an EG1000 motor.
The gearing is the replica of the Systema standard ratio flat
gear set. It also contains a bore-up cylinder, reinforced spring
guide and a new yellow piston in the box. Not to mention, CA-M15A4
also has a reinfoced tappet plate, a hopup as well as metal loading
nozzle. With the gearbox screws being compatible with philips
heads, it makes it easier to work with the mechbox.
The wiring for this Classic Army M15s is also improved. The loom
is now made from a much nicer, fatter, and more flexible wire
set. The previous models of this CA-M15 A4s had wirings that did
not seem appealing.
The takedown of this rifle is not too difficult. The packaging
comes with manual in English and gives thorough instructions.
The Classic Army M15-A4 Disassembly: In this part
of the article, the takedown of the CA M15 A4 is
performed. Using a flathead screwdriver, undo the rear bolt. Make
sure that the screwdriver used fits nicely with the bolts. With
a little bit of force, tap out the pin itself.
Once the pin is out, carefully lever the upper receiver away
from the lower. Be gentle and apply a steady pressure. The top
receiver will then swing upward and away hinging on the top of
the receiver pin. The motion is tight as the metal receiver tabs
slide over the gearbox.
There are two things that will most likely drop out of the receiver,
so be careful as these crucial items may be lost. One is the shiny
cover that the dust cover sticks to when it is closed, the other
is the bolt release button on the lower rear. It is next to the
"ArmaLite" lettering.
Undo the nut and take out the front pin. It should look like
the left picture above. The bore hole is on the right hand side
of the cylinder and therefore is not visible in the picture.
It is now ready for the inner barrel to be removed.
Take a note, however, of the way it is put back. Some CA-M15 owners
has had the mistake of putting the barrel back into place the
wrong way with the hopup in the wrong position.
Retracting the inner is not very difficult, although it is tightly
fit, try not to force it. The hop unit is made of plastic and
may break if not careful. Pull the unit backward from the muzzle
end and slid the inner barrel out along the receiver. It is tight
but fits between the receiver tabs. Once the barrel is out, it
is visible that the unit goes right to the end of the barrel and
stops just before the flash hider.
Make sure that the little spring in the hopup unit is in tight
when sticking the innber barrel back in place since not much is
holding it. This hopup is a straight copy of the TM version so
sourcing spare parts will not be too difficult.
Be careful when pushing the inner barrel back into place and
do not force the hopup unit since it is not easy to slide it back
into place again.
Also take extra care when refitting the receiver pins. Make sure
that they are nice and tight, for if not, they can be lost.
CA M15-A4 Magazines: G&P midcap, TM lowcap, CA Hicap,
and TM Hicap magazine are the different magazine selection for CA M15 A4.
The magazine vary in color. All have lettering stamped into the base
of them. The G&P magazine has "Adventuer MFG.Co.INC.
Parsons KS USA" on it. The TM hi/low has the same stamp as
well, although in lower case lettering. The CA mag has the stamp
"Yick Fung Ind. Int'l Ltd. Classic Army." It is important
to note that the Thermold magazine does not fit into the CA receiver
for they are about 0.5mm wider.
There is minimal feed problems with hi-cap mags for both CA and
TM brand, so it is recommended to purchase CA for the CA ArmaLite
if price is concerned.
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Upgrade Potential
4/5 - internally it's all nicely copied and the same dimensions as
TM gear. Externally you'll find that grips and cosmetic addons may
not fit so easily because of minor sizing differences. Build
Quality
5/5 - built like a rock Value for Money
5/5 - Almost Impossible to fault Overall Potential
5/5 - Classic Army guns are very impressionable |
CA M15 A4 Complaints: One of the minor points
of criticism for the CA M15 A4 is the dust cover. It is only held
on by a piece of magnet attached to it. This may be a cosmetic
thing but the metal cover that is meant to look like the real
bolt is quite shiny and unrealistic.
Also, the absence of the foregrip removal tool which is needed
especially for quick battery changes.
Conclusion: There has been a significant change
to this rifle since its improvement. The CA ArmaLites had a bad
reputation before this model came out. The performance is now
better and the decals are printed nicely on it. So for the enthusiasts,
pick up a Classic Army M15 A4.
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